P2P South Africa 2008

Teams Andrew & Lydia - Umlazi

Tuesday 8th Jan:

After a fantastic week at the Amanzi International Youth Conference, & an enjoyable
final day spent at the Tala Game Reserve near Pietermaritzburg, the busloads of tired
people rolled into Durban in the late afternoon. Some were dropped off at the Airport, &
others at the Westville Hall, which quickly became chaotic, with bodies in varying states
of conciousness draped everywhere, intermingled with luggage, sleeping bags & various
items of clothing. Eddies of activity whittled out some, who left for airport, train or
surrogate families, or for the Durban Hall, which
would be their home for the next few days. Others
accompanied Tim to the Car Rental at Durban
Airport, & waited patiently in the teeming rain while
they were all registered as drivers for the fleet of
Avanzas & Chicos, which would be their teams’
transport for the coming 2 weeks. Those who would
be driving on the “wrong” side of the road faced the
prospect with some trepidation. Then, like a mother
duck, Tim led a procession of cars & fledgling
“South African” drivers back to the Westville Hall,
all arriving safely!

At the preliminary evening meeting that night, Matthew & Craig Blewett inspired us all
with their oratory & passion, so that we were all enthused about the upcoming 2 weeks of
P2P outreach activity. The teams spent some time apart, talking about their plans for the
1st week.

For the 1st few days, Teams

Andrew & Lydia would work
together, & so we discussed
the strategy for the days
ahead. At the end of the
evening, we finished the day
with a devotional led by
Belinda.

Belinda would lead the

Cooking/Craft group, which
included Karlie, Nathan & Peter; Nick would lead the Drama/Music group, which
included Stuart, Jenny & Hope; Stephen E. would lead the Maintenance crew which
included Stephen H, Matt & Jeremy; Melody would lead the Prayer group, which
included John, Gabi & Donna May; Adam would lead the Sports group, which included
Jess, Nic, Peter & Stephanie; Wendy would do 1st Aid & be the photojournalist. John was
the overall team leader, & Shaz was our wonderful Westville “home” leader, who did a
great job of keeping us in touch with home comforts. Yonni would join us later in the
week, as would Jake (“Cob”).

Wednesday 9th Jan:

After breakfast & a Team Devotional at the Westville Hall, where most of the team were
staying, we loaded up the cars with supplies for crafts & lunch, & followed Tim out to
Umlazi. We were to spend the next few days at Leonard’s church, running kids’ programs
for the Sunday School kids & doing maintenance/renovation work on the trailer/Park
Home which he uses, together with an open-sided marquee, for church services &
activities. (Leonard had come into contact with our community through the Durban BEC,
& has weekly Bible studies with Tim.)

We had been told

to expect
approximately 60
kids, but usually
had 100-120 every
day. Ages varied
from 2 to 20, &
everyone came
with a keenness &
enthusuaism to
take part in the
activities offered.

On this 1st day, the Craft group had brought Marie biscuits, icing sugar, food colouring &
sweets for decorating. The kids had great fun mixing the icing sugar with water to make a
paste, colouring it different colours, & then coating the
biscuits, before decorating with the sweets. After the biscuits
had dried, they were enthusiastically eaten!

The Drama group played a game to get to know everyone’s

names, & the team of Ozzies had a tough time getting their
tongues around the Xhosa sounds! Nick acted out the story
of the Prodigal Son, roping in audience members to play
other roles.

The Prayer group played the action game “eating/sleeping/praying/reading”, which the
kids loved! They talked about prayer & the Kingdom, & the kids were all able to recite
the Lord’s Prayer, but few had heard about the Kingdom.
The Sports group went down to a
field in the valley below (rather wet
& muddy after all the rain) & played
various games (the kids are all avid
soccer fans, & love to play the game).

The kids were divided into 4 groups,

& each group rotated through each
activity, 2 sessions before lunch, & 2
afterwards. Ayanda, a lovely 21 yr old
Sunday school teacher at Leonard’s
church, was most helpful in
coordinating & translating, & we
discovered, when she led some group
singing, that she also has a lovely
voice.

The Maintenance group measured, poked & prodded, looked serious (not surprising
given the magnitude of the problem), & then went off to track down supplies.

We had brought viennas, buns, tomato sauce, bananas & soft drinks for lunch, but had
catered for half the numbers present, so had to stretch the supplies to cater for all! It was
greatly enjoyed.

During the morning, we had been pleased to meet Leonard & his wife, who arrived to
meet us & approve what we planned to do in regard to the trailer renovations.

At the end of the sessions, we gave all the kids a sucker/lolly or a bag of chips, & said
goodbye for the day. We then had a debriefing session, & a brainstorming of ideas for the
following day.

Back at the Hall some made supper, while others went to shop for supplies for the next
day. Later we all attended Bible Class at the Durban Hall, when John Pople gave a
thought-provoking talk on Jephthah’s Daughter.

Thursday 10th Jan:

On arrival at Umlazi this morning, the

Maintenance crew, together with
helpers from the other groups, quickly
got stuck into the jobs on the trailer:
scrubbing the outside walls, painting,
patching, ripping off rotting interior
panels, etc.
Once the kids started arriving, the groups started their programs:
The Craft group painted faces on paper plates & made them into masks with scissors &
string.
The Prayer group again played the action game, this time changing the actions to
“singing into mic/scratching head/sleeping/surprise”, & again the kids played very
enthusiastically! They told the story of Jonah, & question time afterwards showed how
well the kids had been paying attention.
The Sports group played several games, eg Tunnel ball, which incorporated the girls as
well (the previous day they had not been too enthusiastic about joining in the soccer).
The Drama group joined the sports group down on the field as they had more space there
for their songs & activities.

Things flowed more smoothly as we improved on

the previous day. Each kid had a number written
on the back of his/her hand, so that were able to
keep track of which group each was in. This
helped with rotating groups to activities &
management of lunch.

After a debriefing session, we went back to the

Westville Hall, & later everyone went to a South
African style restaurant “Moya’s” at UShaka, &
had a relaxing evening.

Friday 11th Jan:

The maintenance work started in earnest as soon as everyone arrived, well before the kids
were scheduled to appear, as there was a lot to achieve that day. We had also lost Team
Lydia, who were leaving South Africa to return home, & so we had fewer hands to do the
work. We were pleased to add Jake (Cob) to our Team! It was also hotter….

We modified our groups: Sports – Stephanie & Jake/Jeremy; Drama – Nick & Jenny;
Prayer – Gabi; Crafts – Karli & Jess; Maintenance – Stephen E, Stephen H, Donna May,
Jeremy, Jake, Matt & Yonni.

The Crafts group drew pictures, with some very artistic results, & everyone was keen to
have an individual photo taken. The Prayer group heard the story of Daniel in the Lion’s
Den, & the kids again responded well to the quiz afterwards, showing that they had
listened well. Gabi adapted the action song this time to “prayer/Daniel/Darius/lion”. The
Drama & Sports groups again enjoyed various games & activities down in the field.

After lunch (same menu) had been served & enjoyed, the kids went on to their 2nd two
sessions, & the Maintenance crew worked hard to get the jobs done. Work was
progressing well: new plywood boards for interior walls were attached & primed, &
Donna May primed the door; outside painting continued as well. After the kids’ activities
 were over, the other team members helped with the
renovations.

At the end of the working day, Leonard arrived &

called the Team together. He gave a wonderful
speech of appreciation, & gave us each a gift: beaded
necklaces for the ladies, & keychains for the guys. He
& Ayanda sang us a song in Zulu, which was very
moving.

After the hot & dusty work, the Team was very happy to get to Sharon’s house & enjoy
the pool & hot showers. We were later joined by other Teams & enjoyed socializing
together.

Saturday 12th Jan:

The Maintenance crew went back to

Umlazi to finish off the work there.
Donna May continued with the painting
of the door, & the blue colour
complemented the neutral colour of the
outside walls.

The rest of the Team went to support

the outdoor concert in downtown
Durban, below the Workshop. Nick
joined the music group, playing his
violin, while the rest of us handed out leaflets advertising the Durban BEC & the free
seminar courses being offered there. The music group performed many songs, including
some sung in Zulu. We walked around, chatting to those listening to the concert, either
sitting on the steps, walking by, or manning their stalls around the amphitheatre area. The
willingness of people to listen & chat & ask questions was wonderful. Karlie & a few
other P2Pers also started doing some face painting, & several kids (as well as some
adults) stopped for that.

The afternoon was mostly time off, although John spent the afternoon at Marianhill doing
a talk about the Gospel. Nick, Jenny & I took Karlie out for lunch as it was her 21st
birthday! All the Teams congregated that evening at the Dove’s, & enjoyed games,
swimming, chatting & devouring a great number of pizzas, as well as Amanda’s delicious
dessert!

Sunday 13th Jan:

An exciting day! All 3 Boyle “kids”, Kerri, M-J & Warren got baptised as part of a very
moving Memorial Meeting. The Durban Hall was packed with both the Durban &
Westville ecclesias, together with all the P2Pers & other visitors. Our songs of Praise
were led by Ari & the Music Group; Matthew Blewett gave a very moving exhortation
based on Luke 15, the “Celebration Chapter”, & the importance of being “happy” rather
than murmuring & critical; & Barry Van Heerden brought it all to a cohesive whole by
his thoughtful presiding. After the end of the service, Peter, our brother the security car
guard at the Westville Hall, shared a moving poem that he had composed.

The Teams then went back to Westville for a braai & sports.

That evening we had a Coffee Café Outreach evening at the Westville hall organised by
Adam. Each country representative gave a brief talk, Sami gave a talk on the One Gospel,
we had food & music, & afterwards we continued to socialize until everyone dispersed.

Team Andrew – Candu

Monday 14th Jan:

The beginning of the 2nd

week of P2P, & we set off
for the Transkei, where we
will need to be fairly self-
sufficient for the next 5
days. With this in mind,
John & Wendy did a big
grocery shop at the Spar &
filled up the Avanza with
petrol. We met the Team at
the Westville hall, where we
packed the vehicles (the
Avanza & the bakkie) with luggage & provisions. We had a communal prayer, & then set
off, soon after 11am.

After dropping off another car back at the Airport Car Rental, we set off in convoy,
southwards on the N2. John & Wendy were to share the driving of the Avanza, & Wendy
did the 1st section to Kokstad, after which John took over as far as our destination for the
day, “Hole in the Wall” (he got the potholes & slippery, muddy road…) We started off
with Jenny, Karlie & Nick in our car, & had lots of laughter & giggling. In the bakkie
were Jeremy, Matt, Cob, Stephen H & Jess. At Kokstad we transferred all the luggage to
the bakkie, & took Nick, Cob, Steve & Jess, while Jeremy & Matt, Jenny & Karlie went
in the bakkie.

We stopped for breaks at the Ultracity in Kokstad & then just south of Umtata, but
otherwise drove straight through, getting to Hole in the Wall at 8pm that night. Although
the road from the N2 to Coffee Bay is paved, the potholes are many, deep & bone
shaking. This, together with the persistent rain, low cloud & fog, & then the slippery
muddy dirt road for the last 10km, made the ride quite hair-raising, & kept John on his
toes! Our prayers were intensified when we had to make two attempts to get up a muddy
hill that defied our first efforts. By God’s grace we avoided the ditch & made it to the
top!!

We were very happy to meet Team Peter at the Backpackers’ Lodge, where they had been
since the previous afternoon, having finished their stint at Candu. They made supper for
us all, & we sat chatting, sharing experiences, & learning about Candu & what projects
we could do there. The accommodation was very comfortable, & we enjoyed hot showers
(the last for Team Andrew for the next 5 days!) & comfortable beds!

Tuesday 15th Jan:

Everyone woke up in dribs & drabs – some hopeful souls even got up at 4am hoping to
see the sunrise, but no luck, due to the persistent cloud & fog! However the blue sky was
attempting to break through, & the rain had stopped. After toast & tea/coffee for
breakfast, we all packed up, Team Peter to hit the road for Durban, & Team Andrew to
head for Candu. We decided to leave together & go in convoy, due to the state of the
road. We were much relieved to find that the visibility was vastly improved & the road
much drier. John was feeling competitive & overtook several of Team Peter’s cars, much
to the nervousness of his passengers!

We stopped to fill up with petrol just before getting back on to the N2, & Wendy took
over the driving. Then occurred the first of 2 incidents that became the subject of much
teasing over the next few days: she was stopped for speeding…. The police officer, on
seeing her Canadian driver’s license, was very kind & let her go without a fine!

We arrived at
Candu without
further
incident, thanks
to God’s caring
Hand. The
turnoff was
very easy to
see, as Team
Peter had made
& erected a
sign to indicate
it.

There our Bro

Templeton met
& welcomed us, & we also met several sisters and children.

It was decided that the building/maintenance projects that we would undertake would be:
building a shade shelter outside, finishing the fence around the vegetable garden,
constructing a countertop at one end of the meeting hall, & making the playground safer
for the kids (a preschool/crèche is run in the Hall during the week). So after some
discussion & assessment, some of the team, together with Templeton, went off to Idutywa
(about 25km away) to get supplies. Fortunately Candu has electricity (on a pre-pay meter
system), so we were able to use power tools, although we had brought along a backup
generator (which we never needed, despite the many power outages elsewhere in the
country).

Nick made friends with Templeton’s 17 yr old son Siyanda, & went off to herd cattle with
him; Jenny played soccer with some young boys, & Karlie had fun with a group of kids.
The sky had been blue & sunny when we arrived, but a thunderstorm soon arrived with
black clouds & sheeting rain. This didn’t put off those playing outside, & Karlie enjoyed
getting thoroughly wet! (The talk of the community was the occasion the previous week
when Team Peter, led by Shane, “showered” outside in a thunderstorm, having endured
several hot sweaty days of work without showers!)

Wendy met & chatted with several of the sisters, & it was good to get to know them.
They requested a Sisters’ Class that evening, & when asked for the topic, said “a
summary of Genesis to Revelation”! So Jenny & Wendy led it later, focusing on the
promise of the Kingdom, who Jesus is & the Old Testament promises about him, & the
love of God. Although the sisters were keen to
continue, we ended the class after 2 hours, with
promises to continue the following day. We
sang hymns in Xhosa (with English words in
parallel in the book).

Karlie had made a delicious risotto for supper,

& we chatted about the day’s experiences,
before Nick ended the day for us with a
devotional. It was discovered to be Cob’s
birthday, so Karlie made him an ingenious
“cake” out of pancakes coloured with food
colouring!

We put out foam mattresses on the floor in the

Hall, & there was much chatting & hilarity as
we got settled.

Wednesday 16th Jan:

Although the alarm clock was set for 6am, no one actually got up that early!

The guys dug the holes for the poles for the shade shelter fairly early, before the heat
increased, & then went off to Idutywa, together with Templeton, for further supplies.

While they were away, the preschool kids arrived (about 20 or so), & Nick, Jenny &
Karlie sang songs & played games with them until they finished at about 2pm. They told
them Bible stories, such as Noah’s Ark, with lots of actions, sang songs, such as the
Colour song & Parts of the Body, & played games with balls & hoops outdoors.
Communication was somewhat of a problem as the kids’ language was Xhosa, & they
understood little English. Felicia, one of the sisters, who helps run the preschool, was
able to help a bit with translation.

The guys came back from town with a kettle

(very important for tea & coffee!), as well as
groceries & building supplies. They got
started on cementing in the poles for the
shade shelter, as well as wiring the fence with
Robert & Templeton. Steve, with Jess
assisting, built a lovely countertop/shelf in
the hall, at the end that is partitioned off for
storage & to use as a kitchen. Jenny ran a
Sisters’ Class in the late afternoon on
Lifestyle/Behaviour. Wendy spent the day in
the kitchen, making a huge pot of samp &
beans, & another of mince. We fed everyone, including the ecclesia, before Bible Class
that evening.

John led a Bible Class on “The Gospel/The

Good News of……God/God’s grace/Jesus
Christ/Salvation/the kingdom/Christ’s
glory/Peace” as the phrases appear in the
scriptures. We then all had coffee before
everyone dispersed.

Our end of the day Devotional was led by

Karlie, after which we were all so exhausted
that we were asleep by 10pm.

Thursday 17th Jan:

Karlie made us scrambled
eggs & cooked tomatoes
for breakfast. (We were
using a 2-plate portable
cook top & a slow cooker
for cooking & the kettle.
Water was fetched from
rainwater tanks outside the
hall, & we boiled this. We
had brought bottles of
drinking water with us. We
washed dishes in a big
plastic bowl. We had Wet
Wipes instead of showers
for the week, but there
were flush toilets. The
dam was full, thanks to the preceding rains.)

After breakfast, Templeton, Nick & Wendy went into Idutywa for supplies. This was the
occasion for the 2nd of the 2 incidents previously noted: The 3 of us were having such an
interesting, animated conversation that Wendy failed to notice the sign posting the
decrease in speed as we approached Idutywa. As we came around the corner, she was
pulled over, & we got out to process the infraction. Templeton, able to speak Xhosa, was
a wonderful asset, & he took the opportunity to discuss the Gospel with the police
officers, & left them with some literature to read.

We then proceeded at a legal speed into the town, & to the Empumalaga Store. This store
was comprehensive in its stocks, & we were able to get most of our building & grocery
needs here, as well as buy more Kwh for the power meter. Wendy bought a big bag of
stewing lamb for the following day’s meal.

A most rewarding part of the visit to town was to see Templeton at work preaching, & to
be part of it ourselves. We were wearing our “Good News of the Kingdom of God” T-
shirts, & had the car magnets on the side of the car, which proclaimed the same message.
People would stop & ask us about it, & Templeton would launch into a Xhosa
explanation, & would leave them with something to read. When English was understood,
we would add our bit to the exchanges. The daily visits that Templeton made into
Idutywa with members of the team enabled much preaching, & were a positive spin-off.

When we got back, we found that the others were worried as we had been away for so
long. As we drove on to the property, Nick couldn’t wind the window down fast enough
to tell the others about Wendy’s speeding fine….

Karlie had applied the 1st coat of varnish to the kitchen countertop, & it was looking very
smart. The guys were continuing with the building operation, & it was progressing well.
After the preschool children left at about 3pm, Wendy gave a talk on Health & Hygiene,
which lasted for about 2 hours, as there were so many questions & concerns. She then
started doing individual medical consultations for the ecclesial members. This adjourned
for the day at about 8pm, & she promised to continue the following morning.

Jenny & Karlie had made pasta for dinner, & the preschool tables & chairs were set out.
After Matt’s chair collapsed under him, we made sure that we chose the sturdy ones! Jess
was feeling really unwell, so instead of a Devotional, which she had been scheduled to
give, everyone bombarded John with tough Bible questions.

The end to another busy day!

Friday 18th Jan:

When we woke up we were without

electricity for 2-3 hours, & were relieved
when it came on again. Our morning
tea/coffee was somewhat delayed!

Some of the guys & Templeton went off to

Idutywa again for more supplies to finish off the jobs. The shade shelter was coming
along really well, & John was busily engaged in painting something like “Worldwide
brothers & sisters in Christ” in Xhosa on the corrugated sheets that would form the roof.
The hope was that they would be seen from the road on the hillside, but we later
discovered that they were not. Hopefully they will be visible to small planes flying over,
or even perhaps Google Earth!

Wendy alternated between cook & doctor

this morning! With the help of sisters
Felicia & Vivienne, she got a fire going &
borrowed Templeton’s #6 black cast iron
pot. In this she got a huge lamb stew
cooking, & between the 3 of them they
kept it bubbling all day. They thought she
would make a good Xhosa wife!

At the same time Wendy saw more

ecclesial members for personal medical
consultations, & sent a couple off to the
local clinic with recommendations for
treatment or investigations.
The guys finished off the shade shelter, which looked
very good, & used rebar to “tack” the sections of
playground equipment down. John also did some
adjustments with an angle grinder, at which he
managed to look quite proficient! Steve finished off
the countertop, & Jess was working busily on the
laptop, trying to put together a PowerPoint
presentation of our activities for the final meeting of
all the Teams the following night. Nick, Karlie &
Jenny had again entertained & educated the preschool
kids that day, & all had a great time.

Just as we were getting ready to

serve all, including the ecclesial
members & children, with the
potjie stew at 5pm, 3 sisters from
Butterworth arrived for the
Breaking of Bread we were
having that evening. It was
wonderful to meet them & have
them join us. Templeton had
given us a cabbage & spinach from his garden, which complemented the lamb, &
everyone enjoyed the meal. The pot was almost scraped clean!

We started the Breaking of Bread service

later, Robert presiding, & John gave the
exhortation. He spoke about the man who
was let down through the roof by his
friends to see Jesus, & how we should
have the same strong desire to meet with
Jesus. Nick (violin), Steve (saxophone),
& Jess (trumpet) accompanied the
singing, which was done in both English
& Xhosa, & was wonderfully musical &
heartfelt.

After the meeting, the brethren & sisters requested a Bible Class, & so, after a break to
make coffee, John gave a class on Demons.

After further chatting & a photo session, everyone departed, John taking some local
people home by car. We then had a group prayer session, before getting settled for sleep.
Karlie was distressed to find bedbugs in her mattress, so the anti-bug spray came in
useful!

Saturday 19th Jan:

The cocks crowing at 5am were not a welcome sound, but everyone dragged themselves
out of bed by 6am, as we had to get back to Durban. The thoughts of hot showers before
the evening program in Westville were good incentives. We wished John a Happy
Birthday again, having already done so after midnight the previous night!

The cars were quickly loaded, & we had several more photos & then goodbyes to the
brethren & sisters. Amazingly, we were on the road by 7.30am. By God’s grace, the
journey went smoothly, & we arrived back in Westville in good time for everyone to
enjoy a good soak.

That evening we had the concluding program of P2P South Africa, & we all wondered
were the time had gone – it had flown by so quickly. All the Natal-based Teams were
present, & we had a review of everyone’s activities, in the form of interviews, as well as
PowerPoint presentations. So much had been experienced, & so much gained by each
individual. We were able to see what the Kempton Park & Thembisa Teams had done, as
they also sent in presentations. We concluded the meeting with a Breaking of Bread, a
very special moment of fellowship & of focus on our Lord.

Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a wonderful selection of South African foods, set out on
tables decorated in South African themes. The sisters of Westville had done an amazing
job! Everyone was reluctant to leave, the moment of parting too difficult after the
closeness & teamwork we had all experienced in the preceding weeks. But what
memories to take with us, & what motivation & encouragement to continue the Lord’s
work wherever we may be. We had been truly blessed!

We pray for the soon return of our Lord & the establishment of the kingdom that we have
been proclaiming! May many more hear & respond before that day……

Wendy Johnsen
Team Andrew